DISCUSS POSSIBLE ACTIONS TO FIGHT THE EMERGENCY FINANCIAL MANAGER LAW. Steve: IT'S CERTAINLY NO SECRET, THE CITY OF DETROIT HAS FINANCIAL PROBLEMS AND NOW HAS AN EMERGENCY FINANCIAL MANAGER. BUT WAYNE COUNTY IS NOT FAR BEHIND IN THE LIST OF TROUBLES. AS OF LAST SEPTEMBER, THE COUNTY CARRIED A $22 MILLION BUDGET DEFICIT, THE FOURTH YEAR IN A ROW THE COUNTY IS IN THE RED, CAUSING FRICTION AMONG COUNTY LEADERS. ROD MELONI IS LIVE DOWNTOWN WITH THIS STORY. ROD? Rod: HERE IN THE GUARDIAN BUILDING WHERE THE COUNTY EMPLOYEES WORK, COUNTY COMMISSION, THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE, THEY'RE WELL AWARE OF WHAT'S GOING ON A BLOCK AWAY WITH THE EMERGENCY FINANCIAL MANAGER. AND THEY KNOW IF THEY DON'T GET THEIR ACT TOGETHER, THEY COULD END UP IN THE SAME POSITION, ONLY THE PROBLEMS HERE ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT. WAYNE COUNTY PROSECUTOR KYM WORTHY SAT AND WATCHED THE WAYNE COUNTY COMMISSION WRESTLE WITH ITS PROBLEMS TODAY YESTERDAY SHE SAID NOTHING. SHE IS SUING COMMISSIONERS AND WAYNE COUNTY EXECUTIVE ROBERT FICANO FOR UNDERFUNDING HER DEPARTMENT. SHE SAID HE PROMISED HER $35 MILLION IN FUNDING AND GAVE HER ONLY $24 MILLION. SHE HAS LAID OFF DOZENS OF PROSECUTORS LIKE THIS WOMAN. WE'RE PUTTING OURSELVES IN DANGER. Rod: SHE HAS $30,000 IN COOLEY LAW SCHOOL DEBT AND LEFT HOMICIDE CASES ON HER DESK. 26 PEOPLE WHO ARE ATTORNEYS AND GO THROUGH SCHOOL AND HAVE TONS OF STUDENT LOANS ARE MAKING LESS THAN ONE OF FICANO'S DRIVERS. WHY IS IT THAT WE'RE THE ONES PAYING, IT'S PUBLIC SAFETY. HE CAN'T ON HIS OWN ARBITRARILY PROMISE ANY COUNTYWIDE BUDGET AMOUNT. IT HAS TO BE APPROVED BY THE COMMISSION, AND I KNOW THAT THE PROSECUTOR HAS BEEN AROUND HERE LONG ENOUGH TO BE AWARE OF THAT, TO KNOW THAT. EVERYBODY HAS TO UNDERSTAND IF THE INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENTS DON'T START COMING IN TO LINE, THE STATE WILL COME AND SAY, YOU HAVE TO. Rod: SO THE CITY OF DETROIT, THE CITY COUNCIL, AND THE MAYOR CAN FIGHT. AND THEY TAKE IT WHEREVER THEY WANT TO TAKE IT. HERE AT THE COUNTY BECAUSE YOU HAVE ELECTED DEPARTMENT HEADS, THEY CAN SUE. AND THAT GUMS UP THE WORKS IN AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT WAY. HE SAID EVERYBODY NEEDS TO GET

DETROIT -

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy sat and watched the Wayne County Commission wrestle with its problems on Thursday, but she said nothing.

Worthy is suing the commissioners and county Executive Robert Ficano for allegedly underfunding her Prosecutor's Office. She says Ficano signed a letter promising her $35 million in funding this year. The budget gave Worthy only $24 million. She has laid off dozens of prosecutors including Assistant Prosecutor Nisreen Fahkouri.

Fahkouri picked up a pink slip on Friday. She's looking at $130,000 in Cooley Law School debt and has to leave three homicide cases on her desk. She worries about Wayne County residents.

"Twenty-six people, who are attorneys, who go through school and have tons of student loans are making less than one of Ficano's drivers. Why is it that we're the one paying public safety over anything?" Fahkouri said.

When the budget issues came up Thursday, Worthy disappeared. That frustrated commissioners such as Diane Webb who says Ficano's letter is bogus.

"He can't on his own arbitrarily promise any county-wide elected a certain budget amount. That has to be deliberated and approved by the Commission. I know that the prosecutor has been around here long enough to be aware of that, to know that," said Webb.

Commission Chairman Gary Woronchak said everyone should realize the state could intervene.

"Everybody has to understand that if the individual departments don't start coming into line the state will come and say, 'You have to,'" said Woronchak.

Unlike Detroit City Council where the mayor and Council pretty much are stuck with each other, the County Commission can be sued by elected department heads such as Worthy.

Worthy is fighting this hard. However, everyone else is saying you don't have to look far to see the trouble that comes from not getting on the same budget cutting page.

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